50 Reasons for the Fall of the Roman Empire Lessons we can learn from history

the most powerful military force The Roman Empire was the most powerful military force in the world in the year 100.

Roman buildings were spectacular – at a time when many people lived in log huts or tents.

only a few hundred years later, the Roman Empire had fallen. Here’s the issue – only a few hundred years later, the Roman Empire had fallen. Barbarians captured and burned the city, and the population of Rome went down from about one million to less than 30,000 Historians have tried to identify the cause of the Roman collapse. Meanwhile, politicians today sometimes point to conditions in present-day America, and warn that “this is why Rome fell.”

of the suggested reasons, to see if they really apply Let’s look at some of the suggested reasons, to see if they really apply to present-day America.

Let’s do a kind of “thought experiment.” Imagine that you have been hired by some conservative politicians who believe that big government, high taxes, government spending, and public debt are big problems. Which reasons on the list would support the idea that Rome fell because it was too “big government” ?

Now imagine that you have been hired OK . . . Now imagine that you have been hired by politicians who think government should pass laws and raise taxes to help unemployed, uneducated, foreign, and other needy people. Which reasons on the list seem to support the idea that Rome fell because it failed to provide that kind of welfare program.

a different kind of politician. Describe that person’s ideas, OK . . . If you want, imagine a different kind of politician. Describe that person’s ideas, and identify the reasons on the list that such a person might mention to support their ideas about how government should be run.

Conclusion The Fall of Rome was a long and complex process. Historians have suggested more than 200 different conditions that may have contributed to the collapse of the Roman civilization. You should be suspicious of anyone who claims to have “the” ten reasons why Rome fell!

Copyright 2016, Phil Gersmehl Teachers who saw this presentation at a workshop or downloaded it from our internet site have permission to make a copy on their own computers for these purposes: 1. to help them review the workshop, 2. to show to colleagues or administrators, 3. to show the presentation in their own classrooms or at sessions they lead at teacher conferences, 4. to use individual frames (with attribution) in their own class or conference presentations. For permission for any other use, including posting frames on a personal blog or uploading to any network or website, contact pgersmehl@gmail.com